Some of my most vivid childhood memories of school were the novel studies I read for various subjects. It was my favorite way to learn skills, history, and any topic! I love books, and being allowed to read an entire book from cover to cover as a school assignment put me in heaven! I am sure this is a major reason why, as a teacher, my passion is to create and teach novel studies! I love introducing new books to my class, and as a community, being immersed in the book together. I love it when a student pulls us off the schedule with a question or comment from something they read and leads the class into a lively discussion. That’s where the real memorable learning takes place, after all!
I create novel studies more than any other product line simply because I like to focus on what I love. I want to work with my passion! I often get questions from readers asking how I would set up novel studies in my classroom. I decided to write a small series explaining my methods. For the most part, my novel studies include comprehension questions, vocabulary/grammar skill work, extension activities, and assessments.
Today’s post, part 2, deals with the vocabulary/grammar skill aspect of the novel studies. You can read part 1 here.
Novel Studies Part 2: Vocabulary/Grammar Skill Work
One of the beautiful things about reading books is that it expands your vocabulary. It introduces you to new words that you can build into your commentary. Being exposed to these new words within the context of a story helps the reader infer the meaning of the word, and it helps to see the word used in action to help the student understand its relevance.
When I create a novel study, I try and pick out all the words that would be unfamiliar to a reader while at the same time not overdoing it by having such a long list of words for each chapter that the reader is pulled from the story. Balance is imperative.
I would always write the vocabulary words for the day/chapter on the board before starting the reading so the student would keep a lookout for those words as they read.
I create a vocabulary bookmark for the student to have in hand as they read. They can record the page number of the word and note the inference they made about the meaning of the word as they encountered it in context. You can see how this is designed for my Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Novel Study.
I also create another page that the student can attend to after they’ve completed their chapter reading. They will use their bookmark to locate the page number of the word. Next, they will look up the dictionary definition of the word and check it against the inference made on the bookmark as they read. You can see an example from my Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Novel Study.
Each unit will contain some activities to work with the words and definitions, such as a crossword puzzle or word search.
I also like to work with grammar skills in context. My units contain a grammar skills activity for each vocabulary word that allows them to identify the part of speech of the word. There is also a sentence using the word written with improper grammar, missing punctuation, and misspellings. The student will need to correct the sentence to the proper written format. Here’s an example page from my Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Novel Study.
All of my novel studies offer a Google Drive™ format, in addition to the printable format, shown above, to use with your students. This allows you to use novel studies in a 1:1 classroom, save paper, and easily engage students that are absent. Here’s an example page from the Google Drive™ format of my Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Novel Study.
Pacing and approaching vocabulary in this manner has worked very well for me. It allows the students to think about the words and their meaning in context while not disrupting the story to learn the correct definitions.
Join me for part 3 of my series to learn the pacing methods I use for my novel studies.
Are you interested in reading about and sharing ideas with other educators on using children’s literature in your classroom? My goal is to bring together teachers and homeschoolers who teach grades 3-8 and use novels with their students. I’d love for you to join me to learn, share, and grow together!
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry is a powerful historical fiction novel that gives upper-elementary and middle-grade students an opportunity to explore courage, friendship, resistance, empathy, and standing up against injustice.
Set in Denmark during World War II, the novel follows Annemarie Johansen and her family as they help their Jewish friends escape the Nazi occupation. Through Annemarie’s eyes, students encounter a difficult period in history while experiencing a story that is accessible, engaging, and filled with opportunities for meaningful discussion.
If you’re planning a Number the Stars novel study for your 4th, 5th, or 6th grade students, this guide will give you ideas for connecting the novel to reading comprehension, vocabulary, critical thinking, history, and social-emotional learning.
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Why Teach Number the Stars?
One of the greatest strengths of Number the Stars is that it allows students to encounter history through the experiences of a child.
Rather than simply reading facts about World War II, students follow Annemarie as she begins to understand what is happening around her. This creates natural opportunities to discuss questions such as:
What does it mean to be courageous?
Why do people sometimes have to make difficult choices?
How can ordinary people respond when others are being treated unfairly?
What makes someone a good friend?
How do fear and courage influence the decisions people make?
Why is it important to learn about difficult moments in history?
These questions can move students beyond simple recall and toward deeper reading comprehension and critical thinking.
Teaching Historical Fiction Through Number the Stars
Number the Stars works particularly well as a historical fiction novel because students can examine both the story and the historical context surrounding it.
As students read, encourage them to distinguish between what is happening in the fictional story and what they can learn about the real historical events that inspired it.
You can explore:
World War II
Nazi-occupied Denmark
The Danish Resistance
The rescue of Danish Jews
The Holocaust
Geography of Denmark and Sweden
Courage and resistance
Friendship and loyalty
Prejudice and discrimination
Human rights
This makes Number the Stars an excellent choice for connecting ELA and social studies.
Number the Stars Reading Comprehension
A novel study shouldn’t turn a great book into a stack of worksheets.
The goal is to help students think more deeply about what they’re reading while still allowing them to become immersed in the story.
When teaching Number the Stars, comprehension questions can focus on:
Character motivations
Making inferences
Cause and effect
Predicting
Making connections
Identifying themes
Using text evidence
Analyzing character development
Understanding historical context
I recommend using a small number of thoughtful questions rather than overwhelming students with questions after every few pages.
The questions should encourage students to explain why they think something happened—not simply identify what happened.
Vocabulary and Grammar in Context
Number the Stars also provides an excellent opportunity to teach vocabulary in context.
Instead of giving students a long list of unrelated vocabulary words, have them encounter words as they appear within the story.
Students can:
Determine meaning from context
Identify parts of speech
Use new words in sentences
Practice spelling
Explore synonyms and related words
Apply vocabulary through writing
This approach allows vocabulary instruction to become part of the reading experience rather than something completely separate from the novel.
The unit can be used with a whole class, small reading group, homeschool student, or independent reader. It includes both printable materials and digital resources for Google Drive.
What’s Included?
The complete Number the Stars Novel Study includes:
Teacher Resources
Detailed daily lesson plans
Pacing and Standards Guide
Chapter/Section Guide
Vocabulary Word Wall Cards
Answer Keys
Parent Letter
Student Resources
Spelling list
Vocabulary activities
Grammar activities
Chapter-by-chapter comprehension questions
Short-answer questions designed to encourage deeper thinking
Book-related extension activities
End-of-book activities
Story Elements Interactive Notebook activities
Assessment Resources
Part 1 assessment covering Chapters 1–6
Part 2 assessment covering Chapters 7–end
Vocabulary questions
Comprehension questions
Essay questions
Digital assessment options
The unit also includes Common Core Standards alignment for grades 4–6.
Print or Digital? You Get Both!
Today’s classrooms aren’t one-size-fits-all, so this novel study includes both printable and Google Drive-compatible formats.
Use the printable version for traditional instruction, or assign the digital activities through your classroom platform.
The digital format can be especially helpful for:
1:1 classrooms
Paperless classrooms
Students working from home
Absent students
Small-group instruction
Independent work
The assessments also include digital options, with multiple-choice Google Forms quizzes available for self-grading.
Save Time With a Ready-to-Teach Novel Unit
Teaching an entire novel is rewarding, but the planning can be time-consuming.
This Number the Stars novel unit was created to give you a complete framework so you don’t have to create every comprehension question, vocabulary activity, lesson plan, and assessment yourself.
It is designed to be low-prep and ready to teach, while still giving you flexibility to adjust the pacing and activities for your students.
You can purchase this novel study at the following locations:
💬 Connect with Fellow Educators!
Are you teaching Number the Stars this school year? How do you celebrate kindness in your classroom?
Join our free community, Book Talk with The Teaching Bank, to share ideas, grab freebies, and connect with 3rd–8th grade teachers using novels in the classroom!
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Some of my most vivid childhood memories of school were the novel studies I read for various subjects. It was my favorite way to learn skills, history, and any topic! I love books, and being allowed to read an entire book from cover to cover as a school assignment put me in heaven! I am sure this is a major reason why, as a teacher, my passion is to create and teach novel studies! I love introducing new books to my class, and as a community, being immersed in the book together. I love it when a student pulls us off the schedule with a question or comment from something they read and leads the class into a lively discussion. That’s where the real memorable learning takes place, after all!
I create novel studies more than any other product line simply because I like to focus on what I love. I want to work with my passion! I often get questions from readers asking how I would set up novel studies in my classroom. I decided to write a small series explaining my methods. For the most part, my novel studies include comprehension questions, vocabulary/grammar skill work, extension activities, and assessments. Today’s post, part 1, deals with the comprehension aspect of the novel studies.
Novel Studies Part 1: Comprehension
One of the most compelling reasons to use whole novels in your reading instruction is to boost comprehension skills. A complete novel allows the student to delve deep into the characters’ minds and work through the plot from a detailed beginning to an end. You can’t achieve this level of deep understanding and thinking using short passages only. Students should be exposed to all methods of reading instruction, and complete novel studies fulfill a critical piece of the puzzle.
For students to dig deep into comprehension, they need the time to get lost in the narrative. Complete chapters will help them fall into the world of their book. The goal here is for students to think at the higher levels of the analysis and evaluation levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
To achieve this, I only use narrative questioning for my novel studies. The student needs to write out a complete statement in order to answer the question. Multiple-choice questions are not adequate to get the student to move beyond the lowest level of knowledge questioning of Bloom’s. You don’t want students doing quick guessing games to show what they’ve learned as they move through the book!
You can see that the questions will not allow the student to quick-skim the book. They can only answer if they’ve read, and the questions force them to think through what the character is thinking and put themselves into the character’s shoes. This type of questioning will take the student to the highest levels of both the cognitive and affective domains of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
You can also see that there are only five questions for the chapter. The questioning I use in my novel studies is usually only 1-6 questions per chapter. Students shouldn’t be inundated with questions in order to dig deep and show an understanding of what they’ve read. If the questioning is thorough, only a few questions are needed. I try to have at least one question per chapter, no matter how small it is. Of course, sometimes it is not necessary to assign a question just for the sake of assigning work if the chapter is too short.
Another reason for not overburdening the students with questions is to minimize the disruptions as they read. The more often they have to stop to answer questions, the less likely they are to get lost in the story. You want them to go all in!
All of my novel studies offer a Google Drive™ format, in addition to the printable format, shown above, to use with your students. This allows you to use novel studies in a 1:1 classroom, save paper, and easily engage students who are absent. Here’s an example page from the Google Drive™ format of my Esperanza Rising Novel Study.
Going through a story in this manner in regard to comprehension has worked very well for me. It forces those reluctant readers to put forth the effort to let themselves read deeply. The non-reluctant readers will be thrilled to be reading a complete book, so you’ve already hooked them!
Join me for part 2 in my series to learn the methods I use to try to turn my students into book detectives with vocabulary/grammar skill work using novel studies.
Are you interested in reading about and sharing ideas with other educators on using children’s literature in your classroom? My goal is to bring together teachers and homeschoolers who teach grades 3-8 and use novels with their students. I’d love for you to join me to learn, share, and grow together!
The reality of educational research is this: if you look hard enough, you can find support for almost any teaching strategy. Rarely is there a clear-cut answer about what works best. In most cases, effective teaching comes down to a teacher’s professional judgment, their students’ needs, and the flexibility they are given in the classroom.
Unfortunately, in today’s test-driven educational climate, teachers are often given less freedom than ever before. Rigid curriculum guidelines and scripted programs can make it difficult to adapt instruction, leaving little room for meaningful engagement or enrichment.
My Experience Using Novel Studies in the Classroom
I experienced this challenge firsthand while teaching 4th grade in a high-poverty, low-performing school. Many of my students entered my classroom reading at a 1st–2nd grade level, and very few were on grade level.
The biggest obstacle wasn’t just skill; it was motivation.
Our district relied heavily on a basal reading program that felt unrelatable and uninspiring to students. The stories lacked emotional connection, and students saw reading as a chore rather than something enjoyable or rewarding.
I knew something had to change.
How Read-Alouds Spark a Love of Reading
I started small by implementing a daily read-aloud time. My goal wasn’t rigorous analysis; I simply wanted students to enjoy a story.
This shift made a huge difference.
Upper elementary students are often overlooked when it comes to being read to, yet they benefit tremendously from it. By choosing high-interest, often humorous books, I was able to create a positive reading experience. Soon, read-aloud became one of the most anticipated parts of our day.
Why Novel Studies Work Better Than Basal Readers
Once I saw the impact of read-alouds, I began incorporating novel studies alongside our required curriculum.
Instead of limiting students to short excerpts, I introduced full novels connected to the themes in our basal program. The results were immediate and powerful:
Students reading below grade level began attempting more challenging texts
Engagement and participation increased dramatically
Discussions became deeper and more meaningful
Students started choosing to read independently
It became clear that reading an entire book provides a richer, more rewarding experience than isolated passages.
Improved Critical Thinking Through Deeper Reading
One of the biggest advantages of novel studies is the ability to promote higher-order thinking.
With a full-length text, students can:
Analyze character development
Explore complex themes
Make predictions and connections
Engage in meaningful discussions
Using Bloom’s Taxonomy becomes far more natural when students are immersed in a complete story rather than a short excerpt.
Building Real-World Connections and Empathy
Perhaps the most powerful benefit of novel studies is their ability to build empathy and awareness.
Through literature, students can explore real-world issues in a meaningful and age-appropriate way. For example:
These stories stay with students far longer than any worksheet ever could.
Do Novel Studies Improve Test Scores?
While I didn’t conduct formal research, I can confidently say this: My students’ test scores did not decline, and their love of reading increased significantly.
And that matters.
Because when students enjoy reading, they read more. And when they read more, their skills naturally improve.
Key Benefits of Using Novel Studies in the Classroom
Incorporating novel studies into your curriculum offers numerous advantages:
Improved Reading Skills: Students build comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency through sustained reading.
Increased Student Engagement: Novels capture interest and create emotional investment in learning.
Stronger Critical Thinking Skills: Students analyze, infer, and evaluate as they explore complex texts.
Enhanced Writing and Communication: Discussions and written responses deepen understanding and expression.
Greater Cultural Awareness: Literature exposes students to diverse perspectives and experiences.
Development of Empathy: Students connect with characters and better understand others’ experiences.
Encouragement of Independent Reading: Engaged students are more likely to read on their own.
Final Thoughts: Why Novel Studies Matter
Using novel studies in the classroom is one of the most effective ways to transform reading instruction.
While standardized programs may check boxes, novels create meaningful learning experiences. They engage students, deepen understanding, and foster a lifelong love of reading.
And ultimately, that’s what great teaching is all about.
Are you interested in reading about and sharing ideas with other educators on using children’s literature in your classroom? My goal is to bring together teachers and homeschoolers who teach grades 3-8 and use novels with their students. I’d love for you to join me to learn, share, and grow together!
In the book Flat Stanley, Stanley was mailed to California instead of going by train or plane to save money. This idea seems hilarious, crazy, and a wild stretch of the author’s imagination, but did you know that back in 1913-1914, it was legal to send children through the mail? There are cases of “real-life Flat Stanleys” in the United States Postal history.
In 1913, the U.S. Post Office introduced a Parcel Post service for Americans to send larger packages through the Post Office. Before this time, all you could send was a letter. This new service was beneficial for businesses and farmers, but a few people took advantage of it to ship their children! On January 26, 1913, the New York Times reported that a mail carrier in Batavia, Ohio, delivered a baby “mailed” by his parents to his grandmother, who lived about a mile away:
“Vernon O. Lytle, mail carrier on rural route No. 5, is the first man to accept and deliver under parcel post conditions a live baby. The baby, a boy weighing 10-3/4 pounds, just within the 11-pound weight limit, is the child of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Beagle of Glen Este. The boy was well-wrapped and ready for “mailing” when the carrier received him today. Mr. Lytle delivered the boy safely at the address on the card attached, that of the boy’s grandmother, Mrs. Louis Beagle, who lives about a mile distant. The postage was fifteen cents and the parcel was insured for $50.” *From The New York Times. “Baby Boy by Parcel Post.” 26 January 1913
Learn more about this unbelievable but true story in Flat Stanley novel Study, “Could you Be a Real-Life Flat Stanley?”. It is included with the full Flat Stanley Novel Study, or available alone. It includes a reading informational article detailing the longer, complete version of this interesting factoid of our postal history, as well as a math and writing follow-up activity where the student will work to determine the cost to deliver themselves to a travel destination via mail, car, train, or plane! Crazy, fun, and educational all in one!
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Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown, is a fun book that is wonderful to use in the classroom.
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This book can spark numerous activities across the curriculum. The book asks the reader to suspend reality and go along for the ride. Students really have a fun time reading Flat Stanley and participating in the extension activities.
Try a free sample of the novel study for Flat Stanley
Completing the Flat Stanley project with your class can be a fun learning experience. Each student will create their own personalized flat character (usually named after themselves). They will ask a relative or friend that lives in a different place to take their character on an adventure and report back. Most helpers get into the fun and make it enjoyable for students to share their results. All three of my kids have sent their flat selves with Grandpa on golf vacations. Grandpa had so much fun with his Flat Grandkids and posed for numerous pictures. My kids were able to share their Flat adventures with their class.
You can purchase this novel study at the following locations:
Are you interested in reading about and sharing ideas with other educators on using children’s literature in your classroom? My goal is to bring together teachers and homeschoolers who teach grades 3-8 and use novels with their students. I’d love for you to join me to learn, share, and grow together!
Novel Studies Part 2: Vocabulary/Grammar Skill Work
When I create a novel study, I try and pick out all the words that would be unfamiliar to a reader while at the same time not overdoing it by having such a long list of words for each chapter that the reader is pulled from the story. Balance is imperative.
I also like to work with grammar skills in context. My units contain a grammar skills activity for each vocabulary word that allows them to identify the part of speech of the word. There is also a sentence using the word written with improper grammar, missing punctuation, and misspellings. The student will need to correct the sentence to the proper written format. Here’s an example page from my Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Novel Study.
All of my novel studies offer a Google Drive™ format, in addition to the printable format, shown above, to use with your students. This allows you to use novel studies in a 1:1 classroom, save paper, and easily engage students that are absent. Here’s an example page from the Google Drive™ format of my Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Novel Study.
Novel Studies Part 1: Comprehension
All of my novel studies offer a Google Drive™ format, in addition to the printable format, shown above, to use with your students. This allows you to use novel studies in a 1:1 classroom, save paper, and easily engage students who are absent. Here’s an example page from the Google Drive™ format of my 
“Vernon O. Lytle, mail carrier on rural route No. 5, is the first man to accept and deliver under parcel post conditions a live baby. The baby, a boy weighing 10-3/4 pounds, just within the 11-pound weight limit, is the child of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Beagle of Glen Este. The boy was well-wrapped and ready for “mailing” when the carrier received him today. Mr. Lytle delivered the boy safely at the address on the card attached, that of the boy’s grandmother, Mrs. Louis Beagle, who lives about a mile distant. The postage was fifteen cents and the parcel was insured for $50.”
